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Could Your Dog have Social Anxiety?

Do you find that your dog experiences anxiety or fear in
social situations like going to the park, walking through crowds, or even
visiting your friends' homes? Chances are, your dog suffers with some form of
social anxiety. Proper socialisation is essential for all dogs and failure to
do so can often result in your fur-friend facing crippling social anxiety, fear
and sometimes even aggression.

The Cause
of Social Anxiety

Usually, social anxiety is common in dogs who have received
inadequate socialisation during the critical stages of development. These dogs
are typically rescue dogs from puppy mills, stray dogs or dogs rescued from
neglected situations. Although, sometimes, dogs facing social anxiety may just have
had little to no interaction with other animals or humans during the early
stages of their life. When you take this type of animal and put him in a social
setting, he may feel trapped and cornered. This often results in one of two
things; fear aggression or to withdraw from their surroundings.

How to
Prevent Social Anxiety

The best way to prevent social anxiety within your
fur-friends is through socialisation, ideally before 16 weeks of age. There is
a window between 8 and 16 weeks where the dog is curious about their
environment and open to new experiences. After about 16 weeks, the window
closes and the dog begins to fear the unknown. The more people, places, animals
and things they are exposed to before 16 weeks, the less unknown there will be.
While it is important for a puppy to experience as much as possible it is
important to keep them safe and out of harm’s way.

What to do
if Your Dog Already has Social Anxiety

If your dog already has social anxiety, there are ways to
overcome this and greatly improve their quality of life. You’ll need to move
slowly to build their confidence and social skills, but you will get there
eventually. Begin by letting your dog meet one person at a time. Let your dog
initiate contact. Be sure that your dog has a safe retreat they can go to if
they feel overwhelmed. Reward them in the calm moments. The higher the anxiety
in the dog, the better the treat will have to be. Be sure not to comfort them
when they are fearful though, as this can reinforce the fearful behaviour
rather than help them overcome it. Through steady exposure, you should notice
that your dog is relaxing more, as things become more familiar.

Just remember your dog may never completely learn to love
being out in busy areas. However, they can learn to tolerate them if they can
associate outings with the "good part" at the end.